Carer Support Payment replaces Carer's Allowance in Scotland

Carer Support Payment has replaced Carer's Allowance for carers in Scotland, with existing Carer's Allowance claimants in Scotland transferred automatically to the new benefit¹. The payment became available nationally in Scotland in November 2024, and the transfer of existing claimants ran from February 2024². New claimants in Scotland can no longer apply for Carer's Allowance and must apply for Carer Support Payment instead¹.

Carer Support Payment is £86.45 per week³. It is available to people providing care for 35 hours or more a week to someone who receives a qualifying disability benefit, and the carer must earn less than £204 per week after tax, National Insurance and expenses³. It is also available to some carers in education³. The Department for Work and Pensions continues to move people from legacy benefits to Universal Credit across the UK².

Three further payments sit alongside it in Scotland. Scottish Carer Supplement is worth £11.70 per week and is paid automatically weekly alongside Carer Support Payment without the need to apply³. Carer Additional Person Payment, for people who care for more than one person, is paid weekly at £10.40 per week³. Young Carer Grant is available for carers aged 16 to 19 who provide support for an average of 16 hours a week to someone receiving a qualifying disability benefit; it is a yearly payment of £405.10³.

Carers who are terminally ill, or who care for someone who is, can get Carer Support Payment under Special Rules for Terminal Illness⁴. This applies where the carer or the person they care for already gets a disability benefit under special rules from Social Security Scotland (Adult Disability Payment, Child Disability Payment or Pension Age Disability Payment), or under Special Rules for End of Life through Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment or Attendance Allowance⁴. The usual residence test, which requires 26 of the past 52 weeks in the Common Travel Area, does not apply in these cases⁴. Carer Support Payment is usually paid every four weeks for the previous four week period, but a carer in this position can request weekly payments in advance instead, with the amount unchanged overall⁴.

Why it matters for households

Carers in Scotland who were already on Carer's Allowance did not need to do anything to move across, and the payment amount stayed the same after the move¹. Carers in Scotland who were not already receiving Carer's Allowance can no longer apply for it and must apply for Carer Support Payment¹. Once a carer has moved to Carer Support Payment, the Carer's Allowance Supplement merges into their monthly payments¹. The supplement is £304.65 paid twice a year, equivalent to £11.72 per week, paid in June and December, and it should be ignored when working out Universal Credit, pre-Universal Credit means-tested benefits and Tax Credits¹. Social Security Scotland has said the amount of money a carer gets will not change overall⁴.

What happens next

Social Security Scotland has not set out further transfer dates in these pages. Carers Week runs 8 to 14 June, and Social Security Scotland has published shareable resources for organisations supporting carers in Scotland³. Carers who think they may be eligible for benefits under Special Rules for Terminal Illness are asked to contact Social Security Scotland as soon as possible, online or by phone on 0800 182 2222⁴.